Understanding High Blood Pressure: Symptoms, Causes & What's Normal

High blood pressure, or hypertension, occurs when the force of blood pushing against a person's artery walls is stronger than it should be. Blood pressure is always measured with two numbers: systolic, when the heart pumps blood, and diastolic, when the heart relaxes. Systolic is the first number written or spoken in a blood pressure calculation.

Identification

• High blood pressure is diagnosed when the readings are higher than normal on two different days. High range for systolic is 140 or over, and high range for diastolic is 90 or over. Often only one number is consistently too high, generally the diastolic, although in elderly people, high systolic pressure is common.

Stage 1

• A systolic blood pressure of 140 to 159 and a diastolic of 90 to 99 usually can be lowered with lifestyle changes.

Stage 2

• A systolic pressure of 160 to 179 and a diastolic of 100 to 109 requires medication, although lifestyle changes sometimes can eventually lower the pressure enough so the person can stop taking medication.

Dangerous Readings

• Dangerous high blood pressure is a systolic reading of 180 or higher or a diastolic reading of 110 or higher. This requires immediate medication and close monitoring by a physician.

Warning

• High blood pressure, especially at dangerous levels, can cause narrow and weak arteries, blood clots, stroke, kidney damage and damage to the retina.